'Fifty Shades of Grey's' E.L. James and Other Top-Paid Authors

Top Earning Authors 2013

E. L. James, author of "Fifty Shades of Grey", was the highest-earning author in the last year, according to Forbes' list (link) of top-paid writers of 2013. James, 50, earned $95 million.

Chelsea Lauren/Getty Images

Top Earning Authors 2013

E. L. James, author of "Fifty Shades of Grey", was the highest-earning author in the last year, according to <a href="http://onforb.es/19dAqeJ"target="external">Forbes' list (link)</a> of top-paid writers of 2013. James, 50, earned $95 million.

Chelsea Lauren/Getty Images

Top Earning Authors 2013

Following closely behind E.L. James was James Patterson, author of the series "Maximum Ride" and "Witch & Wizard", who earned $91 million in the last year. One out of every 17 hardcovers sold in the U.S. is written by Patterson, Forbes notes.

Robin Marchant/Getty Images

Top Earning Authors 2013

Suzanne Collins, 50, author of "The Hunger Games" book series and the five-book series "The Underland Chronicles", was third on the list with earnings of $55 million.

Steve Granitz/Getty Images

Top Earning Authors 2013

Bill O'Reilly, fourth, Fox News television host and author of "Killing Lincoln" and "Killing Kennedy", earned $28 million in the last year. His books held the first and second spots on the New York Times hardcover non-fiction best-sellers list. His next book is "Killing Jesus".

Photo by Desiree Navarro/Getty images

Top Earning Authors 2013

Danielle Steele, fifth, earned $26 million in the last year. Steele is not only a prolific romance novelist, she also has written children's books and nonfiction.

Christopher Peterson/GettyImages

Top Earning Authors 2013

Jeff Kinney, author of the "Diary Of A Wimpy Kid" series, sixth, earned $24 million in the last year. Three movies have been based on his books.

Mike Pont/Getty Images

Top Earning Authors 2013

Janet Evanovich, author of the Stephanie Plum detective novels, was the seventh highest earning author in the last year, getting paid $24 million.

Andy Kropa/Getty Images

Top Earning Authors 2013

Nora Roberts, eighth, earned $23 million in the last year with her juicy romance novels, many in e-book form. "She sold more than 3.2 million digital copies in 2012, more than any other author not named E.L. James," Forbes writes.

Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

Top Earning Authors 2013

Dan Brown, whose third novel "Inferno" was the best-selling book of 2013's first half, was the ninth highest earning author at $22 million. His crown jewels, however, are "The Da Vinci Code" and "The Lost Symbol".

Juan Naharro Gimenez/Getty Images

Top Earning Authors 2013

Stephen King's science fiction novel "Under the Dome", which was turned into a CBS television series, helped him earn $20 million in the last year, making him the tenth highest paid author, according to Forbes.

Jim Spellman/Getty Images

Top Earning Authors 2013

Dean Koontz, number 11, earned $20 million in the last year with his suspense thriller novels.

Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images

Top Earning Authors 2013

Legal thriller author John Grisham earned $18 million in the last year, earning him the 12th spot in Forbes' list. "The Racketeer" was his 18th novel and the second best-selling hardcover novel of 2012, Forbes notes.

Scott Eells/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Top Earning Authors 2013

David Baldacci, former attorney like John Grisham, earned $15 million in the last year.

Taylor Hill/Getty images

Top Earning Authors 2013

Rick Riordan, who earned $14 million in the last year, presents his novel in the Heroes of Olympus series, "The Mark of Athena," Oct. 7, 2012, in Miami, Fla.

Vallery Jean/Getty Images

Top Earning Authors 2013

J.K. Rowling, shown attending a photocall ahead of her reading from "The Casual Vacancy" Sept. 27, 2012, in London, earned $13 million in the last year with help from "The Cuckoo's Calling", published under the pen name Robert Galbraith. Rowling, 15th in Forbes' list, beat George R.R. Martin, who earned $12 million with his "Game of Thrones" fantasy line.